The harm cars do in California

Of the 17,097 people who died, 54% were in a car, truck or van. The rest were on foot, on a motorcycle or a bicycle, or on something else.

• People in a car, truck or van54% · 9,218
• People on foot27% · 4,632
• People on a motorcycle14% · 2,380
• People on a bicycle4% · 631
• Other (scooters, wheelchairs, skateboards and more)1% · 236

Deaths within 30 days of a crash on a public road (FARS). People on foot, on a motorcycle or on a bicycle are far fewer on the road, so these counts say nothing about who is more at risk per trip.

5,263 pedestrians and bicyclists died from 2021–2024. 39% were struck by a car, 22% were struck by an SUV, 15% were struck by a pickup, 5% were struck by a van, 4% were struck by a large truck or bus.

• 66% were struck by a vehicle on a road posted 40 mph or more (of those with a posted limit recorded).
• 77% died in a crash in the dark, and 61% between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m.
• 27% were hit by a driver who left the scene.

Cars are the most common vehicle on the road, so they are the most common in these counts. Without miles driven they can't show which kind of vehicle is more likely to kill.

FARS publishes final counts about a year after the crashes, so the newest year is not here yet.

NHTSA puts the average economic cost of one traffic death, in medical bills, lost work, emergency services and legal costs, at about $1.6 million (2019 dollars). Counting the value of the life itself, it is $11.3 million.

Applied to California's 4,274 deaths a year, that is about $6.8 billion a year in economic cost, or $48 billion a year counting quality of life. Deaths only: injuries and damaged vehicles add more.

A rough estimate from national averages, not a measurement of California's own costs. Source: The Economic and Societal Impact of Motor Vehicle Crashes, 2019 (Revised), NHTSA, DOT HS 813 403.

Counts, not rates. Large cities have more deaths partly because more people live and drive there.

Per mile travelled, the national figures put motorcycle riders and cyclists above people in cars. The death counts on this page only hold crashes with a motor vehicle, so every person on foot or on a bike in them was struck by one: 46% by an SUV, pickup, van or truck. Driving alone gives off more CO2 per passenger-mile than the transit modes listed.

National figures, not California's. A dash means we found no comparable official figure, so none is shown. The columns use different measures: deaths per vehicle-mile for cars and motorcycles, per mile bicycled for cyclists, so compare them with care. What struck people on foot and on bikes is shown above.

Roads cover an estimated 1,122 square miles of California: more than the land area of Rhode Island. Mapped parking lots and garages add another 129.

Inside California's 483 incorporated cities, driving lanes cover at least 6.1% of the land, and mapped parking at least 1.3%. That leaves out sidewalks, medians, shoulders, parking lanes and every unmapped lot, so the real shares are higher.

Share of each city's land (Census). Driving lanes are an estimate: road length from OpenStreetMap times its width tag, or its lane count at 3.5 m a lane (one lane each way when the lanes are not tagged). * Under half of this city's main roads have a lane count in OpenStreetMap, so most of its width is that assumption. Parking is only the lots and garages volunteers have mapped, so it is a minimum, and cities are mapped unevenly. Land and boundaries: US Census Bureau.

How many people are killed in car crashes in California each year?

17,097 people died within 30 days of a crash on a California public road from 2021–2024, an average of 4,274 a year, or 11.7 a day. By year: 2021: 4,513, 2022: 4,539, 2023: 4,169, 2024: 3,876.

Who dies in these crashes?

people in a car, truck or van 54%, people on foot 27%, people on a motorcycle 14%, people on a bicycle 4%, other 1% of the 17,097 deaths from 2021–2024. Every number counts people who died, whatever the vehicle that was involved.

How often does a crash injure someone in California?

823,652 reported crashes from 2021–2025 injured at least one person: on average one every 3 minutes, day and night.

What kind of vehicle kills people on foot and on bikes?

Of the 5,263 pedestrians and bicyclists who died, 39% were struck by a car, 22% were struck by an SUV, 15% were struck by a pickup, 5% were struck by a van, 4% were struck by a large truck or bus (the rest were struck by another or an unrecorded vehicle). Cars are the most common because they are the most common vehicle; the counts do not say which vehicle is more likely to kill per mile driven.

What does a traffic death cost?

NHTSA estimates the average economic cost of one traffic death, in 2019 dollars, at about $1.6 million, and $11.3 million when the value of a life is included. That is a national average, not a measure of any California city's actual costs.

How do cars compare with other ways of getting around?

Per mile travelled, national figures put motorcycle riders (31.39 deaths per 100 million vehicle-miles, 2023, NHTSA) and cyclists (about 7.9 per 100 million miles bicycled, 2011–2015, NTSB) above car occupants (1.13, NHTSA 2023). FARS only records crashes involving a motor vehicle, so every pedestrian and bicyclist in it was struck by one: 46% by an SUV, pickup, van or truck. Owning and running a new car costs about $12,863 a year (AAA 2026), roughly 86 cents a mile. Driving alone emits about 0.96 pounds of CO2 per passenger-mile, against 0.22 for subway-type rail and 0.64 for a transit bus (FTA, 2008 data). We found no comparable federal per-mile death rate for buses, rail or walking, so none is shown.

How much land do roads and parking take up in California?

Roads cover an estimated 1,122 square miles of California, more than the land area of Rhode Island, and mapped parking lots and garages another 129. Inside the 483 incorporated cities, roadway covers at least 6.1% of the land and mapped parking at least 1.3%. Both are floors: road area is length times an assumed lane width, and parking is only what OpenStreetMap volunteers have mapped.

Where does this data come from?

Deaths come from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), the federal census of every fatal crash on a public road, run by NHTSA. Injury crash counts come from the California Crash Reporting System (CCRS), published by the state on data.ca.gov. Land use comes from OpenStreetMap and the US Census. All are open data.